Browsing by Author "Park, John"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Engineering Escherichia coli for the production of polyketide-based platform chemicals
    (2012) Park, John; Gonzalez, Ramon
    The current chemical industry produces a diverse array of industrial chemicals from a handful of highly reduced byproducts (termed "platform chemicals") derived from oil refining. However, petroleum is a non-renewable resource, and increases in its cost have created pressure to convert the chemical industry into one that is renewable to ensure its long-term viability. To complete this objective, one approach is the conversion of biomass to platform chemicals through fermentation by Escherichia coli . One such platform chemical is methyl ketone, which can be readily converted to dienes that can directly replace existing platform chemicals such as ethylene. To bestow non-native methyl ketone production capability to E. coli from glucose, the polyketide biosynthesis pathway was exploited in conjunction with grafting in a heterologous methyl ketone synthesis pathway found in wild tomato species Solanum habrochaites to produce the methyl ketones. Cultivation under microaerobic conditions improved titers and yields, and further engineering to knock out the native competitive pathways that become activated under microaerobic conditions led to significantly improved strains. The final strain, ΔadheΔldhaΔptaΔpoxB [pTrcHis2A-shmks2-mks1], produced up to 450 mg/L of methyl ketones at 17 mg of methyl ketones produced per gram of glucose consumed under optimized operating conditions in minimal media supplemented with glucose.
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    Housing Choice Voucher Mobility in Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2019) Park, John; Shelton, Kyle
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    Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Needs Assessment: Phase Two
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Wu, Jie; Zhang, Mingming; Park, John; Villegas, Carlos; Patterson, Grant; Shelton, Kyle
    This report represents the second phase of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s needs assessment work on behalf of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. This document includes an updated analysis of zip code level 211 data from October 11 to November 30, 2017, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance (IA) data as of December 5, 2017, and FEMA Individual and Households Program (IHP) data as of December 20, 2017, all for Harris County. This report includes a summary of the data provided by the American Red Cross’ Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) as of January 5, 2018 (this information was not in the Phase One report). In addition, this report includes a damage assessment for Harris County presented at the census block group level. This assessment combines data from the City of Houston, Harris County and multiple non-profit groups. Summaries of several of the largest needs assessments undertaken since Hurricane Harvey are also included here.
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    Identifying Latent Transit Ridership
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Park, John; Shelton, Kyle
    This report provides another tool for agencies to use in planning services by offering a method to show which parts of Houston METRO’s service area may have latent or untapped ridership. By analyzing the existing demographic, land use and transit service characteristics of transit lines, this report identifies areas where opportunities to increase ridership may exist. Underperforming areas are defined as the neighborhoods where existing ridership is lower than statistically expected ridership of a given area based on key characteristics. The goal of this work is to augment, not replace, the planning practices of METRO or other agencies. This approach identifies neighborhoods that might be well served by future service and also points to some small-scale interventions that might create greater ridership in areas already served. It is essential that local agencies apply their on-the-ground knowledge of their systems—the intricacies of specific routes and peculiarities of ridership patterns—in future applications. This work does not take into account questions of funding, a topic that would shape responses to the findings.
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    Preserving Affordable Housing in Harris County
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Guajardo, Luis; Sherman, Stephen Averill; Park, John; Fulton, William
    In this report, Kinder Institute researchers identify affordable housing preservation policies and programs in the Houston area, document the range and extent of affordable housing, and describe best practices that could help stem the loss of local affordable housing stock.
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    Re-Taking Stock: Understanding How Trends in the Housing Stock and Gentrification are connected in Houston and Harris County
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Park, John; Guajardo, Luis; Shelton, Kyle; Sherman, Steve; Fulton, William
    Understanding how housing development reshapes communities is essential to discussions about redevelopment and providing residents with access to safe and affordable homes. While new development can mean improved housing conditions, increased supply and shifting home prices, it can also acutely affect communities with older homes and long-term residents with low or fixed incomes. Through seven case studies, this report highlights the different types of housing development that occur when a neighborhood gentrifies. The work expands on prior Kinder Institute studies about countywide gentrification and development.
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    The 2020 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2020) Shelton, Kyle; Park, John; Villegas, Carlos; Guajardo, Luis; Servidio, Chris; Zhang, Zhiyan
    The Kinder Institute's inaugural State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report provides a consistent and accessible baseline of information about housing-related issues to all Houstonians. This report will be updated annually to track shifts in how the housing system in our region is changing. The Kinder Institute will provide an updated report annually and make housing indicators available for all stakeholders to access. This first report establishes a baseline by comparing how dozens of key housing indicators have shifted between 2010 and 2018. Subsequent annual reports will add the latest year of data to the analysis and track trends over time.
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    The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Sherman, Stephen Averill; Park, John; Guajardo, Luis; Shelton, Kyle; Lessans, Jenna; Mokrushina, Ksenia; Fulton, William
    The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston uses a range of indicators to track the challenges, opportunities and trends in the region's housing system.
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    The 2022 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston Kinder Houston Area Survey: At the Forefront of a Changing America
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2022) Park, John; Sherman, Stephen Averill; Guajardo, Luis; Fulton, William; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    The third annual State of Housing report documents a rapidly changing housing environment in Houston and Harris County. Due to delays in data released from the U.S. Census and the American Communities Survey, the 2022 report relied more on data from other sources, especially the Houston Associations of Realtors (HAR) and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). The HAR data, in particular, helped us understand the dramatic changes in the home ownership market, especially rising prices and low inventory. The HMDA data provided us with rich insight into trends in home mortgages.